ザンビア・ルサカにおける障害者団体の技能訓練と生産活動

―福祉用具の製作を通じた技能形成に着目して―

抄録

This study examines the production activities and skills training conducted by the Disabled People's Organizations (DPOs) in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, and analyzes how the skills of persons with impairments are developed through these activities. Furthermore, the relationship between skills and impairments is examined by focusing on skills acquired in previous careers of persons with impairments and their educational level, and then the role of DPOs in the skills formation of persons with impairments is discussed.

Three DPOs engaged in production activities were selected for the study, and eighteen members of DPOs were selected for interviews. The survey showed that in the three DPOs, skilled persons with impairments serve as leaders (managers) to develop production activities related to the manufacture of assistive devices such as wheelchairs. Also, the DPOs provided a variety of skills training, not only on-the-job training, but also short- and long-term training and international training.

Focusing on the relationship between the skills of persons with impairments and their previous educational background, it was found that DPO members have educational disparities based on their educational background, and that these educational gaps lead to differences in the patterns of skill formation pathways after joining DPOs, which in turn lead to disparities in the skills acquired and income of DPO members.

From the perspective of reducing disparities, it would be crucial to provide opportunities for basic education to persons with impairments, such as offering off-the-job training (off-JT) and on-the-Job Training (OJT) in mathematics education to the members of DPOs, with the support of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), to encourage them to acquire more advanced knowledge and skills and to increase their wages.

Finally, it can be argued that DPOs play an important role in job creation by providing a variety of skills training opportunities for persons with moderate to severe impairments with educational back-grounds who are often excluded from the labor market.